Cafe Hogwarts and the Dispatch Squad
by hinatamayonaka
Summary: Amongst the chaos a group of five unique dark creatures band together and carry out random jobs.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was so much fun to write! I wanted to practice writing fight scenes, so let me know what you thought of those!**

* * *

The misty, dark streets of London looked straight out of a gothic horror novel. Although there wasn't a soul in sight at this time of night, one couldn't help but feel they were being watched; it was that kind of night. The kind of night where you could feel it in your bones that something dark and dangerous lurked around a corner. And you would be right, for this particular night was the night that they hunted. The beasts, the ghouls, the creatures of the dark. Every full moon people would shut their shutters and lock their doors and pray that they would not be next.

Ever since hell's gate had been opened, the streets had been painted red. And it wasn't just the dark beings that were the cause of the bloodshed, any that got in an angel's way was promptly obliterated; either by accident or by heresy. Every monster from every walk of life, or undead, seem to parade throughout the night underneath the moonlight.

However, amongst the chaos and screams of murder, a single cafe seemed to be open and its neon lit. Hogwarts. The cafe for monsters, people called it. The place was famous for catering to the beasts and the undead. It was a cute little shop that was run by an elderly old man, with a couple of waitstaff and a few loyal customers. In addition to the cakes and tea the place served, it was famous for it's mysterious "backroom" where, for a price, one's wishes could be granted by an elite team of monsters.

And this is where our story begins.

"Jude! Table seven's coffee is ready!" A tall bartender called out from behind the mixing counter. The man's muscles were quite large, as could be seen because he had his long sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and his hair was pulled into a loose, shaggy ponytail.

"Got it!" A small girl that looked to be around fifteen years old, rushed to the counter and loaded the coffee carefully onto a silver serving tray. She was wearing a plain black, long sleeve sweater, a black pleated skirt, and black tights. The only thing contrasting her black appearance was her white as snow skin and her electric green eyes.

With almost inhuman grace, the girl glided over to the table and set the coffee down.

"Enjoy." She said politely.

Returning to the mixing counter, the girl hopped up onto a stool and kicked her legs back and forth out of boredom. It was a slow night.

"Bored?" The mixer said with a chuckle.

"Mh…" Jude hummed absently. "I wonder when the others will get here."

"Am I too boring for the princess?" The man gave a mock look of pain.

Rolling her eyes she gave a huff.

"I see you almost everyday, idiot. I only seem them a couple times a month!" She gave a sigh.

"Awe, it almost seems like you care about them."

"Of course I care, they are a constant source of entertainment for me."

The man shook his head and chuckled while he cleaned a glass.

"I hope they get here soon, I'm so bored." Jude whined.

As if on cue, the front door opened with a chime. Spinning around on her chair, she lept out of it and looked professional.

"Welcome to Cafe Hogwarts." She replied, as if she had said it a hundred times. Her face lit up however once she saw who had walked through the door. "Ah, finally!"

A tall blonde girl with a large braid and a flowing blue blouse with tight, name brand jeans and black heels strolled into the cafe and, upon seeing Jude, gave a small wave. "Hello, Jude." She said pleasantly with a smile. Her voice was melodic and almost hypnotizing.

Behind the blonde was a girl with firey red hair, her eyes were black with blood-red irises. Wearing a bohemian style, almost like a mystical gyspy, the girl danced into the room; limbs as smooth as water. "Zack, Jude." She greeted the bartender and the smaller green-eyed girl.

Finally the third girl walking into the room, although she had messy, choppy hair and a slouched posture, somehow the girl oozed sex appeal. Sauntering towards the bar, she sat next to Jude and promptly ruffled the girl's hair. "Hiya, shorty."

"Hmph!" Jude responded with an angry pout.

The four of the gave a chuckle at the girl's reaction.

"So, you ladies in for a drink or we got work tonight?" Zack, the bartender, asked the ladies that had walked in.

"Drink." "Work" The choppy haired girl and the blonde replied at the same time.

"Hans, you always want a drink." Jude rolled her eyes.

"Ladies and alcohol, little Jude. Ladies and alcohol." The choppy haired girl grinned.

"We've got a job tonight, Hannah, no drinks till after." Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, the blonde cleared her throat. "The boss called us in for the usual dispatch."

"Boring, Sammy, borrriinnggg." The red hair and black eyed girl complained, flinging her arms around the blonde girl.

Zack grinned at the girl's antics.

"Excuse me, I'd like our check please." A customer's voice called out to the group.

"Duty calls." Jude said dryly, getting off the stool and giving the customer's her customary "professional smile". "Coming!" She strolled off to take care of the customers.

"Echo, work is work. No matter how boring it is." The blonde girl called Sam scolded the red head gently.

"But we've been on, how many of these raid's already? It never seems to end." Echo complained, letting go of Sam and stealing Jude's seat.

"Well, ever since the war business has been booming, so I can't really complain." Zack said diplomatically.

Echo threw Zack a look of over dramatic disdain.

"Not helping, Zack." The boy shrugged as the girl continued. "I want something exciting! Something new!" Her eyes glittered with hope.

"Hannah! I said no drinking!" Sam scolded the choppy haired girl who was sipping on a glass of alcohol.

"Awe come on, blondie. It's just a little bit." Hannah tried to grin innocently, but on her seductive face it came out a smolder.

"Don't use your succubus smolder on me, young lady." The blonde laughed and shook her finger at the girl.

"Hey, that's my chair." Jude put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Echo, returning from dealing with a customer.

"Boss will want us in the back, now that we're all here." Zack put down the glass he had been meticulously cleaning and handed the smaller girl the "Sorry, now closed" sign to put in the window.

Grabbing the sign, she scowled at Echo as she walked by; to which the red head playfully stuck out her tongue at the girl.

After Jude had put the sign in the window, Zack dimmed the shop lights. The group of five all made their way to the back of the shop where they would meet with their boss, whom they all referred to simply as 'boss'. Entering the back of the shop, there was a comfortable lounge area with soft chairs and a large couch. Sitting at the head of the circle was an elderly man in a crisp, black business suit with a black button up shirt and a black, silk tie.

"Children, welcome." The boss spread his arms wide and welcomed the group.

Jude's eye twitched.

"Not a child…" She grumbled.

"Compared to a Death God, everyone is a child, my dear." The boss chuckled.

"Yes, boss." Jude replied dutifully as she took a seat in one of the chairs.

Zack, Echo and Hannah took to the couch while Sam elegantly sat in the remaining chair. Their boss, the Death God, pulled out a couple of folders from his black briefcase.

"Tonight's dispatch is going to be a little different than usual-"

"Thank the gods!" Echo interrupted.

She received a scolding glare from the boss, to which she sheepishly apologized.

"Instead of the usual targets, there has been word of a second group that has been interfering with the shipments. So, in addition to taking out the low level demons who have been running the illegal human slave trade, you will have to deal with this new group that have been swooping in stealing the 'goods'." The boss explained as he handed Zack and Sam the folders.

"So, do we know exactly what type of creatures this new group is comprised of?" Zack inquired as he flipped through the pages and pictures in the folder.

"All we know is they have claws, based on evidence left at the scene." The boss replied.

"Well, that's not vague at all." Hannah mused.

"It could be werewolves?" Echo suggested.

Zack scowled.

"I hate those beasts, no class at all."

"We can rule out vampires at least." Jude visibly relaxed. She hated battling her own kind, it always got complicated and messy.

"Ghouls perhaps? They could be stealing the goods and eating them. Is there evidence of half eaten corpses at the scene?" Echo inquired. Being a Ghoul herself, she knew what to look for.

"Nothing at the scene. They seem to have taken out the lower level demons and then stolen the humans, cages and all." The boss replied.

"So they'd have to be strong enough to take all that cargo plus the cages…" Zack mused out loud.

The group collectively sighed.

"Probably higher level demons then." Jude said reluctantly, giving Zack a concerned look. Because he was only a half demon, battling other demons was always emotionally taxing on the boy.

"My thoughts exactly." The boss nodded.

"I hope it's not at an abandoned warehouse this time, sooo cliche." Hannah grinned.

"It is." Sam read in the file.

Hannah rolled her eyes and muttered, 'I need a drink'.

"So, we go in, dispatch the lower lower level demon slave traders then wait for the higher level ones to show up and… what? Take them out too?" Sam inquired.

"I'd like you to capture one of them and interrogate them, find out if they are part of a larger organization and get the location of where they were taking the humans." The boss ordered.

"But the rest we can take out, right?" Echo cracked her knuckles with a grin, she loved a good fight.

"Indeed." The boss sighed.

Exiting the warm atmosphere of Cafe Hogwarts into the cold and desolate streets of London was chilling. People's windows were boarded up as the moonlight filled the empty streets. Full moons were always a time of terror for the humans. Sticking to the shadows, the dispatch squad made their way to the designated location of the slave trader's base.

Hearing voices inside the warehouse, Zack signaled everyone to get ready and be silent. Sam nodded and motioned for everyone to cover their ears. As she began her siren song, Zack promptly kicked down the door. Enemies in a daze from the song, they were helpless to the surprise attack from the group.

Halting her song, Echo and Zack rushed forward, both grinning wildly. As Echo's fingernails elongated and turned into claws, her red irises flashing, Zack pulled out his sword from the sheath on his back. Both ran forward at inhuman speeds, picking a target each they promptly decapitated them. Blood sprayed from their necks as the corpses dropped to the ground.

Dodging the spray of blood, keeping it off his leather jacket, Zack wielded his sword expertly as he locked on to his next target. By this time, the lower level demons had broken from their siren induced haze and began to fight back. As one of the slave traders lunged for Zack's heart, presumably to rip it out, the brown eyed, shaggy haired boy spun right and dodged the arm. Simultaneously twisting his sword to the blade's edge, he chopped off the offending limb. Pivoting on his heel, he pulled the sword back and rammed it into the demon's chest.

Meanwhile, Echo was having the time of her life with her claws. Slashing the lower level demons to pieces, creating ribbons of blood and flesh, she danced between two demons who were taking turns lunging at her. Side-stepping them, spinning this way and that, she moved fluidly like water. The bangles on her wrists jingled in a pleasant melody amongst the screams and howls of pain.

Hannah however fought with restraint, not needing to fight in a frenzy. Pushing her boobs up, the slave trader's eyes glazed over and shoulders relaxed. Taking the opportunity of his distraction, she pulled out a long knife and promptly gutted the poor demon. He didn't stand a chance against the succubus's charms.

Sam and Jude were busy doing their own duties. While the other three fought off the lower level demons expertly, the two were unlocking the cages that the humans had been kept in. Jude, with her inhuman strength from being a vampire, ripped off the locks with ease. Sam, with her beautiful and enticing siren voice, entranced the humans to follow them out the back of the warehouse and to safety. They worked like a team that had done this a dozen times.

Once all the humans were out of their cages and all the lower level demons were dispatched, the squad regrouped.

"Now we wait?" Jude questioned.

Sam nodded. "I suppose so."

Just as they were getting in position, they heard a slow clapping noise. Appearing in the doorway were three demons and two hellhounds. The demon in the front was wearing a pinstriped suit with a blood red button up shirt and slicked back hair; he appeared to be the leader since he was the one giving the slow, mocking applause.

"Well, well. That was impressive." The man grinned cheekily. Looking around at the empty cages, the man frowned and looked at the group with confusion. "You let the goods get away? How… interesting." He looked more annoyed than interested. "So you weren't here to steal the humans.. then why are you here?"

The man clearly liked the sound of his own voice.

"Don't tell me, you're human lovers?" He laughed outright. "How hilarious! A vampire, a ghoul,a demon, and whatever you two are, saving humans!"

Zack and Sam scowled, not liking that they had just been skipped over.

"We weren't saving them, it was just a job requirement." Jude spoke up.

Sam rolled her eyes. She knew that Jude held no love for the human race, but she could have held her tongue in front of the enemy.

"Job requirement? How peculiar." The man stepped forward, his crew following close behind him. "You work for the humans then?"

Jude was about to answer that she would never work for a human when Zack gestured for her to be quiet. Grumbling, she crossed her arms and angrily pouted.

"Hm, as much as I'd like to stay here and chat, figure out this little mystery, I have some escaped humans to catch so, if you'll excuse me." The man turned to walk away when a knife sailed through the air, the man catching it right out of the air.

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere. We still have a job to finish." Sam ordered.

Sighing, the demon turned.

"Very well then." Snapping his fingers, the demons on either side of him released their hellhounds at the group.

Racing forward, Echo tackled one of the dogs. Rolling on the ground, snarling and growling, the two creatures fought in a battle of teeth and claws. Plunging her clawed hand into the dog's chest cavity, she crushed it's hard; blood spurted out of it's mouth and onto her cheek. Eyes flashing red, she grinned and lept off the dog. Diving straight into the next fight, she aimed for one of the secondary demons.

Zack, baring his large sword blade forward, charged at the head demon. Eyebrows raised and eyes wide, he observed the demon pulling out a specialized gun out of his pocket. The demon quickly fired two shots at Zack. dodging one of them with his super-human speed, he blocked the other with his sword. Getting closes into hand-to-hand combat range, he swung his longsword at the demon's head. Ducking, the demon took his gun and aimed it at Zack's heart. Quickly twisting to the side, he managed to dodge the bullet; though, just barely.

Meanwhile, Jude was working up her skill to take control of the other secondary demon's mind. Though, this art form took some time to prepare, so Sam was holding the other demon off with her commanding, siren voice. A simple "stop" command and the demon was frozen. Slipping into the demon's mind, Jude ordered him to snap his own neck. Frowning as the demon resisted, she looked to Sam to help give him a bit of… encouragement. Combining their powers they managed to take control of the demon and coerce him to snap his own neck.

During this, Hannah had been playing around with one of the hellhounds. Using her seductive powers, she had turned the raging beast into a sweet puppy. Taking out her long knife, she slit the beast's throat after a quick scolding from Sam.

Echo had been busy with the second demon, and she was, once again, having a great time. Although her cheek was stained from the hellhound's heart and there were numerous tears in her colorful skirt, she looked like a mess, her eyes glittered and she had a bright smile on her face. The demon, contrastingly, had a look of confusion and horror. No matter how many punches he threw and she took, the girl bounced right back. Panicking he lunged for her head to smash it into the ground, Echo took this opportunity to twirl around him and jump on his shoulders. Taking ahold of his neck and snapping it.

Zack however was having more trouble than his companions, though, he had picked the strongest target for himself; typical. Additionally, he had the task of subduing the demon rather than killing him. Finally, after many more gunshots and a couple of wounds later, Zack managed to disarm the demon and pin him to the ground.

The battlefield was covered in corpses, from their earlier and more recent battles. But the group didn't even bat an eyelash, they had all seen much worse. Finding a chair in the wreckage and some rope, they managed to tie the demon up. Jude drew a demon sealing circle around the chair, securing the demon in place.

"So, now that the party is over, time for a little chat." Zack said confidently.

"I'm not talking to a filthy halfbreed." The demon spat at Zack's feet.

Zack growled at the demon and took a step forward, only to be held back by a small hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw Jude looking up at him calmly.

"Demon circle, Zack. Use your head. You'll be trapped too, even if you are half demon." Jude explained.

Crossing his arms, he stood his ground and silently glared at the demon.

"Now, let's try that again." Sam said, gesturing for Hannah to stand by her side.

"Tell us your secrets." The said in unison, using their enticing powers to coax the demon into telling them what he knew.

Struggling, he shook his head, trying to clear the girl's voices out of his head. Frowning the two girls chanted the phrase again, with the same result.

Shaking their head, they stepped back.

"He's resisting the allures, he'd more powerful than our usual prey." Sam explained.

Jude stepped forward.

"I'll get him to talk." She clenched her fists and stood at the edge of the demon circle.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked in a quiet voice. "We can just bring him back to the boss and have him do it…"

Staring at the demon, Jude nodded.

"I can do it." She replied.

"Be careful, and pull out if you sense the slightest disturbance." Zack reminded the girl.

Nodding, the girl held her breath and stepped into the circle. Raising her hand, she aimed her telepathic mind reading powers at the higher level demon. Eyes glowing green, a strong wind blew through the circle around the two of them. Suddenly stiffening, the demon began to struggle violently, Jude concentrated harder. Searching his mind and tearing apart his memories was a violent act, soon blood began to spill from the demon's eyes, ears, and nose. As Jude dug deeper, her hand began to shake. Finally, what seemed like ages later, he hand fell and she nodded.

"Got it." She whispered, falling onto one knee completely out of breath.

Zack stepped forward to help her stand up, only to pause at the edge of the circle. He grit his teeth and took a step back. Entering the circle would only cause problems. Waiting for Sam to collect the girl, since Hannah couldn't enter the circle either, he looked on with a concerned expression.

Helping the girl up, Sam looked to Echo.

"Finish him off, we've got what we need." She ordered.

Nodding with a grin, Echo strutted into the circle and grabbed the demon's hair; stretching his neck out. Taking a long knife from her belt, she swiftly cut the demon's head clean off.

Handing Jude to Zack, he scooped the tired girl up in his arms and carried her. Leaving the warehouse full of bodies behind them, they all headed back to the cafe to report back to their boss.

"Finally! Now let's get that drink!" Hannah cheered.

The group rolled their eyes and agreed.

* * *

 **A/N: For clarification:**

 **Sam: Siren**

 **Hannah: Succubus**

 **Zack: Half-demon**

 **Echo: Ghoul**

 **Jude: Vampire**


	2. Chapter 2

Returning back to the cafe, the group of dark creatures that had just saw battle were in surprisingly good moods. Through all the death and carnage, it seemed that, as long as they were able to share a laugh with each other, everything would be alright. Fighting alongside each other, despite being different types of creatures, made their bond strong. Entering through the back door of the cafe, the five of them made their way to the sitting area. Waiting for them, despite the late hour, was their boss; one of the Gods of Death.

"Ah, you've returned. I assume, by Jude's worn out state you've got the information?" He inquired.

"Yes, sir." Sam replied for the group.

Zack gently set the girl down on one of the soft chairs.

"Zack. The usual." She quietly grumbled out.

"Yes, princess." The boy grinned and went out of the room, towards the bar area.

"My usual too!" Hannah called out.

"Mine too!" Echo laughed.

Returning with a plate full of drinks he handed each of them a drink. For Echo, a whiskey on the rocks. For Hannah a Bailey's and coffee. For Sam, a dry spritzer water and vodka. And for Jude, a hot black tea with two sugars and a dash of milk with a side wine glass filled with chilled blood. Zack and the boss passed on having a drink. Settling in, the crew waited for Jude to relay the information she had gleaned from the demon's head earlier that night.

Taking a sip of her hot tea, she shot Zack an approving look. Perfect.

"He was Rycore. He was merely a couple ranks above our usual prey, yet he was that difficult…" She mused. "Anyway, he has been raiding several slave trader ports since the knowledge of demon prevention circles became public knowledge to the humans. It's been harder to catch humans during the night now that their numbers have dwindled and they've become smarter. Humans are considered rarer commodities since the opening of the gate." Pausing she looked at the glass full of human blood. It had been donated by one of their few human patrons. "As far as the purpose of collecting the humans, I could only ascertain this: it's something big that needs a lot of human souls."

"A summoning, perhaps?" Sam guess.

"The demons have been getting their asses whooped by the angels recently, it would make sense that they would summon one of the higher ups." Hannah suggested.

"It would have to be an ancient creature, most demons nowadays can just pass through the gate with ease; they don't need a summoning." Their boss informed them.

"Boss, have there been a sudden increase in human death's recently?" Zack asked, an idea forming in his head.

"No, actually it's been steady." The boss replied.

"Hm. Isn't that strange? Wouldn't there be a lot of human deaths with all of slave trader raids? They must be saving them for the ritual to sacrifice them all at once. Meaning-"

"The humans are still alive and in the hands of demons." Jude interrupted Zack with a bored tone. "So what? It's not our job to go save a bunch of humans. We decided to stay out of this war between demons and angels and saving them would be interfering." She finished her glass of the red liquid, licking her lips and painting them red.

"Jude…" Zack said with a bit of a growl. "We can't just leave them there knowing that they are going to be sacrificed!"

"Yes we can! We can just leave them there. It's not our job to save them unless we are commissioned by someone. Even then we aren't obligated to take the job." The vampiress argued.

"Do you agree with this?" Zack questioned the rest of the group.

"Well, she has a point." Said Sam hesitantly, not wanting to anger Zack. "It would be interfering with the war directly..."

"Echo?" Zack looked at her with a hopeful look.

"You know me! I'm always up for a fight!" The red-head grinned widely.

"Hannah? Twin?" The half-demon turned to Hannah.

"Huh? What were we talking about?" Hannah looked bored.

"Twin..." Zack growled a bit.

"Okay, okay. Uh... gods, you know I hate making discissions! I just go with the flow you know! I don't care what we do." She scratched her head and shrugged.

"Boss?" Jude questioned their leader.

"Hm... I say we wait for a commission." He replied diplomatically. "If we get a job, we do it. If not, we leave it be."

Zack stomped out of the room without another word.

"Jude..." Sam looked to the younger girl who was sipping at her hot tea. "Go after him or something."

"Huh? Why me?" She pouted.

"Cause you're the only one he'll listen to." Sam explained.

Sighing, the green-eyed girl put down her cup and followed after the half-demon. The girl found Zack staring out the shop window solemnly. Gracefully, she walked over and stood by his side, staring out the window at the same scenery; trying to see what he saw. Although the girl knew what to say, she hesitated; she didn't want to fight with the boy.

"Zack…" Jude began.

"I know, I know." Zack cut her off. "I shouldn't care so much about a race that doesn't care about me, you've told me at least a hundred times." He clenched his fists and stubbornly refused to look at the girl.

"Well, it's good that you understand that finally. But that wasn't what I was going to say." The girl gave a soft smirk. "Zack, this goes beyond just the morals of saving humans. We would be thrown right into the middle of a huge part of the war-"

"So what? Maybe it's about time we stopped sitting on the benches and stepped up to the plate for once!" Zack shot back.

"We agreed when we took this job that we'd be grey, not taking a side on either side of the chessboard." Jude reminded him.

"I know that." He snapped.

Jude gave him a glare, telling him to calm down.

"Sorry, it's just. I'm… regretting agreeing to that. I have these powers and I feel like I'm doing nothing with them." Zack stared at his hands.

"You are doing something. Just think of today. You saved all those humans that would have been sacrificed. And you've done more in the past. You've proven you can help people, even if they don't deserve it…" She grumbled out the last bit.

"I just, want to do more." He confessed, shoulders slumping.

"I know you do." The green-eyed girl replied softly.

They stood in silence, watching the empty streets from behind the window pane.

"You can't save everyone, Zack." Jude turned and left the boy to his own musings.

Re-entering the common room alone, the others turned and gave her a questioning look.

"Give him some time." She sighed, returning to her now cold tea.

"Right, then. We decided to go with the boss's idea. If we get a commission, we get involved. If we don't, we leave it be." Sam announced.

Jude reluctantly nodded. Blanching at the bitter taste of the cold tea, she looked forlornly at the creamy abyss in the cup. Something big was coming, that would no doubt affect them all even if they didn't take a direct part in it. The war between the angels and the demons would soon reach every corner of the globe, no human or creature wouldn't go unaffected. After all, this was war.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is kinda slow, it's an inbetween chapter. *shrugs* Enjoy**

* * *

For the next two weeks no one spoke of the topic from that bloody night. They all were holding their breath, waiting for a commission to come in and sound the drums of war. Taking a few small jobs here and there, the group continued to work diligently however in the back of everyone's mind was that one job they were all hoping, and some loathing, to get.

Today was an especially slow day for the Cafe Hogwarts because of the rain, it had been pouring all day and now it looked like it would continue into the night as well. The gang had gathered for their monthly card night where they would play traditional human card games. Sounds of laughter were interrupted by the unexpected sound of the welcome bell on the shop door.

Looking up from her hot cup of tea, Jude grabbed her black apron and threw it on.

"I'll take care of it; Echo, Hans, don't you dare look at my cards." She narrowed her eyes at the mischievous look on the two girl's faces.

Gliding from room to room, she made her way to the front of the shop.

"Hello, welcome to Hogwarts. How can I help you?" Jude offered pleasantly.

The shop was empty.

"That's strange, I could have sworn I heard the bell ring..." She mused out loud.

"Excuse me! Down here!" A small voice called out from below.

Looking down at the bar stool where the voice was coming from, she spotted a wood pixie. Delightful, happy little creatures, pixies loved the earth and were able to perform a little bit of magic. Although, they were almost always found close to the woods, so why was it in the city?

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" Jude offered.

"Actually, I was here about your," he whispered, "back room."

Jude paled.

"Oh, uh, of course. Right this way." She put on a strained smile, praying to whatever deity that this wasn't going to be what she thought it was.

Leading the pixie into the common room, she introduced him as a special customer.

"I'll get the boss." Jude announced as she let the room and went upstairs.

"So, you're a wood pixie then?" Echo asked curiously.

"The name's Griffin Andrews. Pleasure to meet you ma'am." He offered his tiny hand for Echo to shake.

"Awe! So cute!" Echo cooed as she took the tiny hand in between her two fingers and gently shook it.

"A wood pixie?" The boss's voice drifted into the room as the elderly man descended the stairs in his usual crisp black attire, followed closely by the vampire girl. "A rare customer indeed. Hello, I'm the owner of this establishment." He introduced himself, giving a small nod of his head.

"Hello, sir! I'm here on a recommendation from a friend. He said you might be able to help us?" The small creature explained.

"Well, that certainly depends on the situation, but we are proud to say we have a strong reputation of taking care of most tasks." Sitting down in his usual chair, at the head of the circle, the boss gestured for the pixie to continue.

"Well, sir, I come on behalf of my clan, the Hufflepuffs. We live in a remote area of the forest, peacefully. However, recently there have been disturbances in our area. Dark creatures in human skins have been cutting down our forests and destroying our villages. It appears as though they are clearing a large area for some sort of ritual, judging by their need of a private space and the cages-"

"Cages?" Zack interrupted curiously.

"Yes, sir. Cages full of humans. Poor things, trapped with those demons…" The pixie known as Griffin trailed off solemnly.

"Finally! This is the job we've been waiting for!" The half-demon stood up from his armchair and looked at the others excitedly. "We'll take the job." Zack announced confidently. "Right boss?" He looked to the old man in the chair.

Nodding, the man crossed one leg over the other stiffly and intertwined his fingers.

"Yes, we will take your case. How will you be paying for it?" The boss got down to business.

"We have pixie dust we can use to pay…" Griffin trailed off nervously.

"Hm, I'm afraid we'll need more than that." The boss replied. "Perhaps… yes, I've heard tales that your people keep a certain orb in your possession."

Griffin paled.

"You want, our Orb of Destiny?" The pixie whispered.

"A fair price I think, in exchange for the safety of your village." He said smoothly.

Scrunching up his face in thought, the small creature finally, after much debate, agreed to the payment that was suggested. After finalizing some more of the specifics, they shook hands and parted ways.

"Well, I suggest we all get some rest, we will need to develop a plan of attack tomorrow." The boss explained as he creakily rose from his chair.

"Yes, boss." They all dutifully replied, all except one who had remained stony and silent throughout the whole exchange.

As the old man left the room and went up the stairs, Zack and Echo grinned at each other wildly.

"Finally! I've been itching for a fight!" The red-head exclaimed, cracking her knuckles.

"And I've been waiting for this particular mission, we'll finally be getting off the side lines and into the battle ring!" Zack clenched his fists and had a determined look in his eye.

"Glad to see me two friends so fired up, shall we have a toast?" Hannah slung her arm over Zack's shoulder and gave a wide grin.

"Hans, you just want an excuse to drink." Sam shook her head and chuckled.

"What? Me? Insincere? You wound me, blondie." The succubus batted her eyelashes and smirked.

They all shared a laugh at the interaction. Busy getting drinks for the toast, the smallest of the group took the opportunity to slide away from the festivities and into the shadows. Making her way up to her room, since she was a permanent resident of Hogwarts unlike the other girls in the group, she shut the door behind her and stood, silently fuming, in the darkness.

Gathering up their preferred drinks, the small group laughed and toasted - "Cheers!" - loudly. After playing a few more round of cards, they decided to call it a night since they were all tired and a bit drunk. Bidding each other good night, the three girls left in the early hours of the morning.

Zack, who was another permanent resident of Hogwarts, made his way upstairs towards his room. Passing by Jude's room, he paused with a bit of a scowl on his face. The girl hadn't joined them in celebrating their newest job and had remained silent the entire night. He knew that she didn't want to take the job, but that was no reason to be sulking in her room. She should have at least had a drink with them. Angrily, his kicked the door and stormed off towards his room.

The two had been living with the boss for a couple decades now, Jude longer than Zack. She had found him half-dead in an alley and, instead of just leaving him there or killing him, she had dragged him back to the cafe purely out of curiosity. He had a different smell to him, not fully human nor demon. A halfbreed. There weren't that many of his kind, mainly because female humans tended to die before giving birth, either due to the stress on the body or because the demon father had killed her. Zack was a rare creature.

Their group had started off as just the two of them, taking odd jobs here and there, but then Echo had joined them; taken in by the promise of interesting battles. Then it had been Sam and Hannah, both had been regular customers at the cafe, that had joined the group. The five of them had been together maybe ten years now.

Despite being together so long, each of them held their pasts and secrets close to their chest. Even today, they only knew bits and pieces of each other's stories. A story about Sam's necklace belonging to her grandmother, a story about Hannah's old homeland across the seas, a story about Echo's bracelets around her wrists and ankles, a story about Zack's scar across his chest, and a story about Jude's eyes and their changing colors.

However, being together for such a long time creates bonds that cannot be broken. Bonds of true friendship.

* * *

 **A/N: AWEEEEE SAPPY SAPPY GOOEY LOVE LOVE 3 3**


End file.
